19 UHeart Organizing: Heart Eyes for this High/Low Dresser

I always love a good high/low challenge.  In fact, some of my favorite pages in HGTV's magazine are the High/Low picks.  Whenever I am sourcing items for our home, my first step is to think big and seek out exactly what I want without even looking at price tags.  Once I have my heart set on something, then I start playing the budget game.  What is the cost of the original?  Can I find something similar in style for less?  Can I modify an item to achieve a comparable look?  Can we build something from scratch, and if so, what is the cost of materials and our time?  So many questions, but typically those questions save us money in the long run and allow us to keep a good balance of high and low pieces throughout our home. 

Megan blogs over at Honey We're Home and she has also become a very dear friend of mine.  She recently found out she is expecting her second child, and I couldn't be more excited for their growing (and glowing) family.  When they found out the news, it created a ripple effect of exciting changes to their home.   I am honored to have her here today to share a fabulous dresser combination that will hopefully inspire all of you to play the high/low game as well.

Hello IHeart friends!  It's good to be back and it's an especially exciting time for our family as we are currently expecting baby #2!  These new family changes have prompted some changes in our home as well.  Our 5-year old son, James, recently moved from his former colorful room into the guest room and we've been working on transforming it into a room fit for a fast growing little boy!

The dresser that was previously in the room was mine from collage and had definitely seen better days, so we decided to upgrade. I wanted a wooden piece that would add some rustic charm to the room.  I found a great style for a boy's room at Restoration Hardware, but I didn't want to spend that much money.  

Restoration Hardware Printmaker's 6-Drawer Dresser $1795

I kept searching and found something similar at Overstock (the Melrose Pine Dresser) that I felt could be made to look like the RH version if I added bronzed cup pulls.  And it was $1200 less!  The Overstock version is slightly smaller (2 inches shorter and 7 inches less wide), but that worked better for our space anyway.

The pulls at my local hardware store were twice as expensive as the ones I found online at Amazon, so I went with the Amazon version.  They look fantastic and are good quality, however, the screws that came with the pulls were too short (1 inch) for our dresser, so we had to buy a pack of 1 3/4 inch wood screws to fit the drawers properly.  A 50 pack was only $5. 

I had to enlist my hubby to help make sure I got the measurements exactly right so the pulls would line up straight.  He's so good at stuff like this but hates doing it, so I owe him!

He made a template that we used on each drawer to mark where the drill holes needed to be.

Then got to drilling!

It didn't take long to drill all the holes and we only had trouble with one area where the wood was naturally distressed, but it ended up being fine.  (You can see that spot in the second picture below).

In the end, when we went to screw in the pulls, a few drill holes needed to be expanded just a hair.  

And then a quick vacuum of all the wood dust before putting in the drawer liners and clothes. 

I think it came out great and looks very similar to the RH version (for about $1200 less)! 

Above the dresser I added the mirror I spray painted red and the red lamps I found on Joss & Main (yes, James "decorated" one with Paw Patrol stickers).  Last summer, when I first saw the stickers on the lamp I found him downstairs in the kitchen and asked, "Who put the stickers on your lamp?"  Without batting an eye he replied, "An invisible man.  You'll never see him." Still cracks me up when I think about it. 

Inside the drawers I added red and white fabric drawer liners.  To make the liners, I simply measured the drawers and cut to the appropriate size.  Then, I saturated the fabric in liquid starch to make the fabric stiff. Once the fabric dries, it will become harder like flexible poster board.  Then you just iron them to get the wrinkles out. 

And to keep the shorts and pants nice and organized, I learned a trick to fold and lay them on their sides so you can see each item at a glance.  I like this so much better than my old way of stacking the shorts and pants.  Now, I can quickly find exactly what I'm looking for and the previously bottom layers don't get as wrinkled from being weighed down. 

I still keep the shirts laying flat since they are pretty flimsy and don't stack as well as the pants do. 

We are so overjoyed and excited to be welcoming a new addition to our family!  In the meantime, we still have a lot of home projects to keep us busy and James' new room is on it's way to being complete.  I must be already in nesting mode because I've been on a major cleaning and organizing kick lately.  I recently redid our linen closet (it's so lovely now!) and found a great solution for organizing all my purses and tote bags.  Only 6 months to go! 

______________________ 

"My name is Megan and I am a lawyer by day, design and decor lover by night, and Mama to the sweetest 5-year old boy you've ever seen.  I'm passionate about fitness (and chocolate!) and could not live without my relationships, girl talk, and my morning coffee.  I've been blogging for four years over at Honey We're Home, sharing my love of keeping things organized and beautiful at our house.  My efforts to live in the moment and cook more are an adventure in progress."